How The Cuddle Hormone Could Cure Your Headache

If you suffer from frequent bad headaches or migraine, you'll know only too well how difficult it can be to get any relief. Often the only available treatment is a dose of strong painkillers, but some pills can make you feel like a zombie - and that's no fun.

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So the news about a new type of treatment may be just what many headache and migraine sufferers have been waiting for. It's not based on painkillers but a hormone called oxytocin, otherwise known as the cuddle or love hormone.

Oxytocin is produced in the brain as well as the ovaries (and testicles in men), and is thought to be involved in the bonding process - for instance, in close relationships (which is why it's often called the cuddle or love hormone).

It's probably best known as the hormone that helps new mums bond with their babies, while another study suggests it makes people more trusting.

But scientists from the Stanford University School of Medicine claim it's also good for headaches. When volunteers were given a dose of oxytocin in a nasal spray, 50 claimed their pain had disappeared altogether after four hours. Out of those who were given a placebo spray only 1123FFEB00&videoControlDisplayColor=%23191919&shuffle=0&isAP=1">